Berks County, Pennsylvania, Sheriff\u2019s Office,<\/a> William Gutierrez, 63, was arrested after one of the alleged victims called 911 at around 4 p.m. on April 19.<\/p>\n\n\n\nUsing GPS, 911 dispatchers located the truck, and police were sent to its location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Court documents show that the man and woman being held by Gutierrez were in a husband-and-wife type relationship but were unmarried. They told police that they had been riding with Gutierrez for several weeks against their will after he promised to enroll the man into a commercial driver\u2019s licensing program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police said both victims are Nicaragua natives who entered the country illegally; they were arrested by Homeland Security before being released on their own recognizance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Investigators reported that the male victim and Gutierrez were from the same town in Nicaragua and communicated via Facebook for several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, during one Facebook conversation, Gutierrez asked the victim to take part in his CDL training program, which the man believed would be his path to a successful trucking career, court documents show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the so-called program involved the victim \u2014 who held no type of license \u2014 doing a majority of the driving while Gutierrez sat back and used drugs and alcohol, according to authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After one instance where Gutierrez became extremely high and unresponsive, police say the male victim decided to take a chance and call 911 for help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The male victim also told police that Gutierrez forced the couple to hide during weigh station stops and altered the computer\u2019s ELD, allowing them to travel non-stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, Gutierrez refused to pay the man any money, which he had promised, then threatened the couple\u2019s families if they didn\u2019t do what he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gutierrez is charged with trafficking in individuals, involuntary servitude, non-payment of wages and unlawful restraint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019s being held at Berks County Jail on $250,000 bail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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